EDX Medical Group plc (LON:EDX), which develops and supplies innovative digital diagnostic products and services to improve the early detection and treatment of major diseases, has announced that, as the lead delivery partner in the Scottish Prostate Cancer Initiative, the Company has commenced a new phase of testing 12,500 men utilising a range of diagnostic tests.
The aim of the Initiative is to test 25,000 men in Scotland and to explore how the existing clinical pathway for detecting and treating prostate cancer can be improved. Over 12,500 men were tested between the end of March and June.
The not-for-profit Initiative has announced it is holding a further 31 testing sessions from this week until November at which men between the age of 40 and 80 are given free Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) tests.
EDX Medical supplies the PSA tests used by the Initiative as well as organising testing events in communities and workplaces. Test results are analysed by the Company’s laboratory services. As part of the Initiative, participants provide blood samples to EDX Medical’s biobank for the Company to use in further research and validation of other advanced diagnostic tests.
Demand is extremely high for the latest testing phase with almost all of the scheduled 31 testing events being fully booked within a matter of hours of appointments being made available.
Test results from Phase 1 of the Initiative uncovered significant numbers of men with all stages of prostate cancer and many hundreds of men with very high levels of PSA. The final results of the project will be reported on completion of data analysis at the end of the Phase 2 testing.
Professor Sir Chris Evans, founder of EDX Medical, said: “We are delighted that the Initiative is proving so popular both with the general public and employers. As the main delivery partner of the project, we have already confirmed prostate cancer in men (stages 1 to 4) who displayed no symptoms whatsoever. These men have clearly benefited from our PSA testing and would not otherwise have had easy access to a PSA test. Clearly, PSA testing has a useful role and provides valuable data but we are also deploying other more advanced tests and, overall, this approach has greatly enhanced our research work on finding more effective ways of diagnosing and treating prostate cancer early.”
The Initiative was launched in March this year by Olympian Sir Chris Hoy, who has stage 4 prostate cancer. He commented: “I am delighted that so many men are demonstrating that if testing is easily available they will enthusiastically take up the opportunity. What is really important is that the Initiative has clearly been able to uncover many men without any symptoms who have various stages of prostate cancer. I am delighted that EDX Medical has been able to help men who have received a result that needs urgent medical attention. There is no doubt that when it comes to prostate cancer, early detection saves lives and this initiative is proving that.”
The Initiative has proved particularly popular with companies and organisations across Scotland. Employers hosting testing events during the second phase of testing include Royal Bank of Scotland, EDF Energy, GSK, Police Scotland, Dundee City Council and ferry operators, Caledonian MacBrayne. Public events have also been hosted by Kilmarnock and Ayr United Football clubs and other public events are being held at various locations in Scotland.
EDX Medical Group is delivering the testing programme for Initiative with support from the Graham Fulford Charitable Trust, a prostate health awareness charity. EDX Medical will make findings from the Initiative available to NHS Scotland on completion of analysis of the project.
Organisations and employers which hosted testing events in the first phase of testing include Sandy and James Easdale and McGill’s Buses, The Arnold Clark Group, The Malcolm Group, Lord Haughey and City Facilities Management. Inverness Caledonian Thistle and St Johnstone Football Clubs hosted testing events at their stadiums.
